If the appliances in your Millsboro rental home are no longer in use or aren’t working properly, you may be thinking about asking your landlord to replace them. While you may think that you have good reasons to ask for new appliances, there are both right and wrong ways to go about it. Before you call or send an email to your landlord with your request, it’s recommended to do some preparation first. By applying a few simple tips, you can craft a request that your landlord will have a hard time saying no to.
Check Your Lease
Before asking your landlord for new appliances, the main thing you need to do is re-read your lease documents. Although the appliance may have come with the house, your lease may testify that your landlord is under no obligation to repair or replace them. Other leases require that responsibility on the tenant instead. Even though your lease states that your landlord isn’t contractually required to replace faulty appliances, you can still make a request. You’ll need to tailor your argument with your specific situation in mind.
Check State Law
Landlord-tenant laws differ from state to state. In several states, the law requires a landlord to keep all of the appliances in good working order – no matter what the lease says. If you reside in such a state, this is the information you can utilize to help persuade your landlord to replace a broken appliance. Irrespective of whether your state doesn’t have such a requirement, it’s a good thing to have a good working understanding of what the law does and doesn’t cover so that you can indicate it in your request.
Explain the Benefits – and the Costs
As you prepare to draft your request, take some time to develop all the reasons why your landlord should replace an old or broken appliance. Try to look at the circumstances from your landlord’s perspective and explain how new appliances will not only benefit you but offer benefits to your landlord as well. New appliances normally require much less repair compared to older ones, which will actually save your landlord time and money in the long run. They are also more energy-efficient and may have rebates your landlord can use to save money. You can also mention that new appliances will help your landlord find new tenants more easily after moving out.
Don’t forget to mention your careful observation of the lease terms, your on-time rent payments, and so on. In addition, it is significant to explain all of the ways that you, the good tenant, have been negatively impacted by the malfunctioning appliance(s). From high utility bills to spoiled food, deliberate any risks that broken appliances pose to your health and budget. If your landlord understands how unhappy you are with the situation, that might motivate them to agree to your requests.
Offer to Help
Most landlords are really involved in a lot of things and don’t have a lot of time to spend with any tenant. Make granting your request for new appliances easy by sending along some research on good quality brands and deals on new appliances in your area. You can also offer to help remove and set up the new appliance if you have the skills needed to do so. By approaching your landlord with good information and offers to help, you can give them more appropriate reasons to say yes.
Keep It Reasonable
If you’ve given your best arguments and your landlord still refuses to replace the appliances or perhaps claims that they can’t afford to do so, there’s still another tactic you can use. By any means, offer to pay for half of the appliance yourself, particularly if you prefer to stay in the rental home for an extended period. If your landlord acknowledges your proposal, be sure to get all of the details in writing, including the appliance’s total cost. Choose a machine that is both reasonably priced and good quality – going too extravagant may cause your agreement to end before you get the appliance you want. Once again, having the option to recommend a brand and an affordable product at a local store may encourage your landlord to agree to your request.
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